The Parliamentary Press Gallery dinner provided an opportunity for former prime minister Brian Mulroney to give the verbal finger to his current nemesis.

In what was billed as an official address from a former prime minister, Mulroney -- appearing in a video -- looked very ex-prime ministerial as he gravely acknowledged all the various dignitaries in the audience at the Museum of Civilization in Gatineau, Que. on Saturday.

He then delivered his message: "Peter Newman: Go (expletive) yourself," he said, not losing his air of gravitas in the process. "Thank you. Good night."

The expletive was the same as another former prime minister, the late Pierre Trudeau, once tried to pass off as "fuddle duddle."

Earlier this fall, Mulroney pronounced himself "devastated" and "betrayed" by Newman's new book, The Secret Mulroney Tapes: Confessions of a Prime Minister, based on taped conversations Newman had with Mulroney.

The moment was one of many at the annual dinner, which gives the nation's leaders a chance to make fun of themselves -- and each other.

Gov. Gen. Michaelle Jean, on the job just under a month, took aim at a few of the controversies that surrounded her appointment.

For example, some claimed she was a separatist sympathizer.

"Was I ever a separatist? Of course -- when I had to separate from the CBC to become GG!" she joked.

She also claimed that when her name was put forward to the prime minister as a candidate, he thought Michaelle was a wealthy Russian oligarch.

But he still offered her the job -- not because she's a woman, immigrant or black -- "but because I'm hot," she said, to big laughs.

When his turn came, Martin recalled things a little differently.

When Jean told him "'Why should I take this job? I'm happy at the CBC'," Martin said he replied, "Because I'm offering you steady work!" -- a reference to the seven-week lockout that recently ended at the public broadcaster (Jean actually worked mainly for Radio-Canada, which wasn't locked out in Quebec).

Conservative Leader Stephen Harper took a shot from Martin -- one related to a photo from this summer's Calgary Stampede that became known as the "gay cowboy" photo.

Martin said he used the same hotel room Harper did just after the Tory leader vacated it, noting Harper forgot something that he'd been meaning to give back.

Martin then held up a little leather cowboy vest.

"Now, let me just say that Stephen took a lot of flack for that cowboy get-up. But frankly, I was offended by the way you all got on his case," he told the crowd.

"You seem to have forgotten that what's great for Canada is that each of us in our own way can decide how we'll show our support for gay pride."

But then Martin showed a video of himself looking mighty dorky at times.

In his remarks, Harper also acknowledged the cowboy getup, but said: "Calgarians have seen worse. The first time Jean Chretien went to the Calgary Stampede he wore a fox hat. I was told this is how it came about ... his scheduler asked him if he wanted to go to the Calgary Stampede.

"'They want me to go to Calgary?'" Harper said, adopting a classic Jean Chretien accent. "'Where the fock's that?'"